NBL24 Games for You to Keep Your Eye On

It's time to get excited, hoops fans. The release of the full NBL24 fixture means dates can be circles, travel can be locked in, and the look forward to the new season can begin.

With 140 games to be played across the regular season, almost everyone will likely have a different answer when asked which game they're looking forward to the most.

That being said, we've pulled a handful of key games out of the fixture that deserve to be highlighted.

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Opening night – Melbourne vs South East Melbourne, September 28

NBL hoops is back on September 28, and with one of the hottest rivalries the competition has to offer.

Both sides will be new look from their final clash in NBL23 though, in which United emerged as 16-point winners off the back of 33 points from Rayjon Tucker.

The game won’t just act as the curtain-raiser to the season. It will be NBL fans’ first opportunity for their second look at Jo Lual-Acuil Jr who has returned to Melbourne from the Chinese Basketball Association, and it will be the first time former Perth stay Luke Travers suits up for his new side.

It will also act as the first game in which Simon Mitchell has not led the Phoenix, with former Cairns head coach and Perth assistant Mike Kelly now taking the reigns of Melbourne’s newest team.

Melbourne centre Jo Lual-Acuil Jr will mark his return to the NBL in the opening game of the new season.

Championship Series rematch – Sydney vs New Zealand, November 5

If the Kings and Breakers can put together a game reminiscent of their incredible five-game Championship Series for NBL23 then fans will be in for a treat.

There will be one obvious exclusion from the Sydney side that earned their second straight title though, and that’s Xavier Cooks.

At the time of writing the Kings have all but secured their impressive bench unit for NBL24, and have added rising star Makuach Maluach, but how their starting five shapes up remains to be seen. In fact, of the five players that started Game 5 of last seasons Championship Series only DJ Vasiljevic is currently contracted.

The Breakers will be breathing a sigh of relief that Will McDowell-White will take to the floor wearing a New Zealand uniform in NBL24 but, much like the Kings, the core of their first unit remains unsigned.

Regardless of whether these sides run it back or blow it up, for the players that experienced the NBL23 Championship Series there will be revenge to be had on both sides of the floor.

The Sydney Kings will take on last season's Championship Series opponents, New Zealand, for the first time next season on November 5.

Christmas Day – Tasmania vs South East Melbourne, Sydney vs Illawarra, December 25

The success of the Christmas Day game in NBL23 has led the NBL to give fans a double dose of holiday hoops.

The JackJumpers, Phoenix and Hawks will all be experiencing their first runs on Christmas Day this season, while the Kings have held onto the fixture they helped make such a success.

Tasmania and South East Melbourne will kick off proceedings at 4:30pm AEST before the Sydney takes on local rivals Illawarra from 6:30pm AEST.

Christmas Day hoops is returning in NBL24, and it's set to be bigger than ever.

New Year’s Day – Tasmania vs New Zealand, January 1

JackJumpers fans will have a holiday period filled with basketball, as their side is also set to take part in the New Year’s Day game against New Zealand.

A new year usually presents new opportunities, and despite January rolling around halfway through the NBL season, that will be no different for these two sides.

Both the JackJumpers and Breakers spent most of last season sniffing around the top of the ladder – can they do it again in NBL24?

The JackJumpers will have the chance to take some revenge on the Breakers on the first day in 2024. New Zealand knocked Tasmania out of the NBL23 semi-finals in their best-of-three game series.

The Final Day – Melbourne vs Illawarra, Adelaide vs New Zealand – February 18

The final day of the regular season in NBL23 was like nothing ever seen before in Australian basketball. The question is, will the same nail-biting finish happen again?

Last season Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth were all in action on the final day, and all three were trying to secure the final Play-In spot.

A 12-point win by Perth over eventual champions Sydney saw the Wildcats sneak into sixth on percentage, but the Play-In format meant the regular season literally went down to the final buzzer.

Both Melbourne and Adelaide – who played each other in the opening clash of last season’s final day – are in action once again. Will they, once again, be competing with each other with the hopes of sneaking into the post-season?

The Perth Wildcats snuck into the final post-season position courtesy of a hectic final day of NBL23.